Tuesday, April 5, 2016

The Bone Keepers (Mythmakers Trilogy) by James LePore and Carlos Davis

The Bone Keepers is book three in a historical conspiracy
thriller trilogy. There are no cliffhangers, so one can read each book and get
a very satisfying story with each one, independent of the others.Like many books in this genre, sometimes
called the "Dan Brown" genre, the Catholic church plays a central
role, as do long held secrets.

The story moves through time to recount the backstory to the
main story that unfolds in and around Rome, Italy, in the year 1943.The reader visits Judea in AD 13 and 60,
Italy in the 1930s and then the 1950s, Galilee in the year 33, and Oxford,
England, in 1943.England is where the
searchers of the secrets, two British spies, are recruited for their assignment.In this trilogy, the spies are fictionalized
versions of real people:spies and later
authors Ian Fleming and Tolkien.

Tolkien

The books in The Mythmakers Trilogy are:

No Dawn for Men

God's Formula

The Bone Keepers

Who was a bone keeper?The reader learns that a bone keeper in the ancient world was someone
who arranged a burial, then later collected the deceased's bones and put them
in an ossuary, a bone box, inscribed with the person's name and family
name.The ossuary was then usually
stored by the family.I'm not giving
anything away that isn't in the book's spoiler description, when I can say that
the bone keepers of the title, are hereditary keepers of the bones of the
Christ.

Yes, Christ rose from the dead, and doubting Thomas felt the
proof that resurrected Jesus included his bones.And the women by the tomb of Christ, that was
borrowed from Joseph of Aramathea, attested to the fact that the resurrected
Christ left nothing behind in the tomb.That means that the religious grounding of the book could be considered
blasphemy by some, or just a bit weak by others.Most readers of these books, however, read
them with a wink and a nod, forgiving those things in the name of
entertainment.

Ian Fleming

The authors have done their research on the real people who
are the inspiration for their fictionalized spies, Tolkien and Fleming.They use the truth to bring entertaining
verisimilitude to the fiction.They also
use the men's fiction to add familiar elements to The Bone Keepers relating to
the two men.

There are sexual scenes in the book, which is for adult
readers.The female character reads at
times realistically, but also at times she stretched my credulity as a female
reader.The writing is fluid, and the
editing is well done.

There is much invention and entertaining suspense in the
book, which will surely please lovers of this genre.The use of Tolkien and Fleming as characters
in the book(s) is something that fans of those men's fiction might enjoy.The authors provide a satisfying ending to
this spy, buddy adventure, romance and religious story, all wrapped up in the
historical conspiracy genre.

Jerusalem Mount of Olives burial cave with ossuaries

From the book's description:

It is Rome, 1943. The war in Europe is at a tipping point,
but the direction in which it will tip is terrifyingly unclear. For either
side, one dramatic initiative could change everything. It is under these
conditions that the Nazis discover a secret that has been maintained for nearly
two millennia – that the bones of Christ have been guarded in a cave in Italy
by a small, secret group. If the bones can be uncovered, Hitler believes he will
be able to use them to topple Christianity and turn the war irreversibly in his
favor.

The clues to the location of the bones or the people
protecting them are scarce. MI-6 agent Ian Fleming and scholar J.R.R. Tolkien –
working in tandem once again at the behest of the British government – must
spearhead a hastily assembled team, including an alluring prostitute, to piece
the clues together before the Nazis try to turn humanity on its head.

The conclusion of the stunning trilogy that began with the
national bestseller NO DAWN FOR MEN and continued with GOD'S FORMULA, THE BONE
KEEPERS is literary entertainment of the first order.

Ossuary of Caiaphas the high priest who presided over the trial of Jesus of Nazareth

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I am Candida Martinelli, and I review books set in Italy or Ancient Rome, or about Italy and Italian culture, or about hyphenated Italian culture. My site is family-friendly. Authors and publishers please click the image to visit my Contact and Reviews page.

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A retired couple visit Venice. Review: "It read as a middle age marital crisis at first, then everything changed and I couldn't put it down." Review: "This charming story is an armchair visit to Venice that gives mature women renewed hope of second chance love and has a surprising twist to the mystery." Click the cover to go to the book's Amazon.com page.

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Crime, murder and male-female relations, a la Daphne du Maurier. "well-crafted" and "unpredictable" Click image to go to the book's page at Amazon.com.

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An Italian Europol officer deals with crime and women. "...reminded me a lot of the show Criminal Minds" Click the cover to go to the book's age at Amazon.com.

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Debutante Violet deals with family and crime in 1899 New York City. "I adored this sweet little book" Click the cover to go to the first book's page at Amazon.com.

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